Developer- and Publisher-specific Articles: Digital Extremes

2K Games has announced their PAX Prime 2011 line-up. In addition to a playable demo of and panel on The Darkness II, there will also be a playable demo and presentation of Xcom as well as a panel and official unveiling of Borderlands 2.

It looks as though Jackie Estacado’s adventures won’t be continuing as soon as we thought. 2K Games has announced that The Darkness II has been pushed back from October 4 to February 7. The first-person shooter is currently in development at Digital Extremes, who are no doubt refining the many ways in which sentient demon arms can gut a man, and will pick up some time after the original, with Jackie now the head of a crime family.

The Darkness II, sequel to the 2007 original reviewed here, has been officially dated. Gamers will get to step back into the shoes of Jackie Estacado and his ever-deadly demonic companion this fall when The Darkness II launches for the 360, PC, and PS3 on October 4. Readers unfamiliar with Jackie and his relationship with The Darkness, which gives him access to sentient Demon Arms, can check out the new trailer that recently launched at the official site.

Singer-songwriter Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and Peeping Tom) will be reprising his role as The Darkness in the upcoming 360, PC, and PS3 sequel, The Darkness II. The Darkness, “a supernatural force of chaos and destruction,” haunts protagonist Jackie Estacado with the promise of great power while consuming what’s left of his humanity. Patton’s work in the 2007 original stands out as being suitably creepy and somewhat endearing. Weird. Players eager to jump back into Jackie’s world will have to wait until next fall.

The Darkness was a unique combination of a semi stealth-based first-person shooter and adventure hybrid that managed to not only deliver a satisfying experience, but also be one of the few instances when a license-based game benefited from, and lived up to, the source material. It’s been over three years since Jackie Estacado took to the streets with pockets of clips and weird, hungry tentacles at his command in search of his girlfriend’s killers. Since then, he’s become the Don of the Franchetti crime family and is now finding it hard to fight back The Darkness after a sudden mob war has reawakened it.